Which US states currently issue digital driver's licenses and how do their features differ?
Executive summary
At least a group of U.S. jurisdictions already issue or support mobile/digital driver’s licenses — commonly cited leaders include Maryland, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, Vermont and others — and reporting in 2025 projects roughly 18 states or more adopting mobile IDs by mid‑2025 (claims vary by outlet) [1]. States differ in platform support (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet), standards used (ISO/IEC 18013‑5, AAMVA guidance), and scope of use — some programs are TSA‑approved for domestic air travel and some are limited to in‑state/business verification pilots [2] [3] [4] [1].
1. Who currently issues digital driver’s licenses — the short list and the disagreement
Several contemporary reports list overlapping but not identical sets of early adopters: Maryland, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, Vermont and others are named as leading states issuing mobile driver’s licenses or supporting digital IDs [1]. Separate reporting notes Apple Wallet or Google Wallet support in states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland and New Mexico [3]. Coverage and projections vary: one outlet says 18 states by mid‑2025 [1]; others describe “many” or “more than 20” states expected to offer the feature by end of 2025, showing disagreement in counting and timing [1] [5].
2. Key technical and standards differences across states
States are adopting different technical routes. Some implementations follow the ISO/IEC 18013‑5 mobile driver’s license standard; North Carolina’s rollout explicitly cites that standard [4]. States also coordinate with platform vendors: Maryland worked with Apple and the TSA to enable Apple Wallet use at selected TSA checkpoints [2]. Google Wallet functionality is reported available in specific states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, New Mexico) per another source [3]. AAMVA card design and digital guidance are also referenced as part of the evolving ecosystem [6].
3. Differences in use cases and legal acceptance
Not all digital licenses are equal in where they may be accepted. Some states’ mobile IDs are TSA‑approved for domestic air travel (Mobile IDWorld reporting and TSA approval mentions) and Maryland’s program is explicitly tied to limited TSA checkpoint use through its Apple partnership [2] [1]. Other deployments focus on age‑verification or business checks (e.g., pilot testing in Rochester bars) and in some states the digital credential is intended mainly for in‑state identity checks until broader federal acceptance is established [4] [2].
4. Privacy, security and verification features — variances matter
Reports emphasize biometric or device‑based protections in many programs: facial verification, PINs, encryption and device loss controls (remote deactivate/erase on Apple devices) are mentioned in coverage of different states and platform integrations [5] [7] [2]. The details of which protections are mandatory, how biometrics are stored or shared, and when a digital credential is considered legally equivalent to a physical card depend on state policy and the platform provider — reporters note states adopt different privacy/security choices [7] [2].
5. Gaps, caveats and contested timelines
Public reporting contains multiple timelines and projected counts. One source projects 18 states issuing standards‑compliant mobile driving licenses by mid‑2025 [1]; other outlets suggest “many” states will offer DDLs by late 2025 or that “more than 20” will do so by year‑end [5]. There are also localized pilot programs and legislative deadlines (North Carolina’s HB‑199 deadline, Idaho legislative steps) that create staggered rollouts rather than a single nationwide launch [2] [3] [4]. These discrepancies show reporting relies on different definitions (fully launched vs. pilot vs. platform‑supported) and different cutoffs.
6. What remains unclear from available reporting
Available sources do not provide a single, authoritative, up‑to‑date master list of every state that “currently issues” a digital driver’s license, nor a definitive, current count of how many residents have been issued mobile IDs nationwide — sources offer estimates like “over 5 million” in later projections but those are in forward‑dated pieces [1]. Sources also do not supply full, side‑by‑side technical specs for each state’s implementation (e.g., where biometric templates are stored, exact legal parity language for each state, or interoperability details across platforms) — those specifics are not found in current reporting [1] [3] [4].
7. How to verify for your state right now
Because reporting differs by outlet and by definition (pilot vs full launch), the practical step is to check your state DMV or official state announcements for precise availability, platform support (Apple/Google/Samsung Wallet), and where the digital license will be accepted (TSA, in‑state stops, businesses). Mobile IDWorld, state DMV releases and platform provider pages are the types of sources reporters cited when compiling these lists [2] [4] [3].
Sources cited in this piece include MobileIDWorld’s reporting on multi‑state adoption and specific state rollouts [2] [1] [4], platform availability summaries [3], and broader compendia that list states and historical notes [6].